Al Williamson's Flash Gordon: A Lifelong Vision of the Heroic by Al Williamson
Flash Gordon, introduced as a Sunday newspaper comic strip by King Features Syndicate in 1934, remains after more than 70 years, one of the best-known and most beloved epics of heroic fantasy produced in America. Initially envisioned and drawn by the brilliant Alex Raymond, the strip's mélange of alien wonders, beautiful damsels, interplanetary evil and peerless derring-do remains potent today, as witness its many adaptations in print, motion pictures and television. It has been cited by no less a popular fantasist than George Lucas as a primary influence on his Star Wars series. Beyond the lasting impact of the strip's heroic themes, the drawing skills of Raymond inspired a small army of succeeding cartoonists to take up his illustration-based stylistic mantle. Al Williamson is arguably the foremost of these acolytes, widely acclaimed as the artist who best exemplifies the original spirit of Raymond's creation, as well as being the most distinctive and lyric. His vision of the character, formed in childhood and deeply personal, captured the hearts of Flash Gordon readers like no other. Al Williamson's Flash Gordon: A Lifelong Vision of the Heroic, collects all the major works of the artist featuring the character. At 256 pages, it encompasses Williamson's three stints of depicting Flash in comic book format: the legendary King Comics stories from the 1960s, the 1980 adaptation of the Universal Flash Gordon motion picture, and the Marvel Comics miniseries of 1994. In addition to these classics of sequential storytelling, Al Williamson's Flash Gordon features Williamson's Flash drawings done for commercial illustration and prints, his assists on the Flash Gordon comic strip, a variety of Flash images contributed to amateur publications, and a selection of largely unpublished images spanning his interest in the character from childhood to the conclusion of his career. With an introduction by Sergio Aragones, text by Mark Schultz, and images reproduced directly from the artist's original drawings, this long-overdue collection of evocative artwork documents the lifelong impact that Flash Gordon had on Williamson and the particular impact that Williamson had on Flash Gordon.
9x12, 256 b&w pages, softcover. $29.95.

FLASH GORDON : Star Over Atlantis by Dan Barry
Flash Gordon has been blessed with some of the greatest artists in comics: Alex Raymond, Mac Raboy, Austin Briggs, and Dan Barry. The rare Flash Gordon daily strips of Alex Raymond's successor Dan Barry are compiled here in all their sci-fi glory! Three complete stories: The Space Kids on Zoran, the Lost Continent and Circea (April 1953 to May 1954) are here, featuring Barry's slick, emotive illustrations (sometimes assisted by Al Williamson and Roy Krenkel). While other books have focused on the Sunday strips of the same period, this is the only one to present the complete dailies.
9x11, 188 b&w pages, softcover. $25.00.

FLASH GORDON Sundays by Alex Raymond
Checker Publications has collected the entire output of comics' great Alex Raymond on his signature strip, Flash Gordon. Thanks to Raymond's unrivaled gift for gorgeous, sprawling artwork and rapid-fire plotting set on a world of unrivaled wonder—the mysterious planet Mongo—Flash Gordon quickly became a household name, a name which still resonates in film, literature and cartooning to this day. Earth braces for its final destruction in a collision with an onrushing planet, and only Dr. Zarkov can prevent doomsday. Taking Flash Gordon and Dale Arden captive, he takes off in a rocket to deflect the hurtling planet and save the world. The mad Zarkov, Flash and Dale survive a crash landing on Mongo, only to be captured by the diabolical Ming the Merciless. And the true adventure begins. Raymond left the strip in 1944 to join the army. He was replaced on the Sundays by Austin Briggs.
Volume 1 collects the first two years. 9x12, 96 pages, hardcover, full color. $19.95.
Volume 2 continues with Sundays from 4/21/35-10/18/36. 9x12, 96 pages, hardcover, full color. $19.95.
Volume 5 continues with Sundays from 1/28/40-8/24/41. 9x12, 96 pages, hardcover, full color. $19.95.
Volume 6 continues with Sundays from 8/31/41-5/9/43. 9x12, 96 pages, hardcover, full color. $19.95.
Volume 7 continues with Sundays from 5/16/43-2/4/45. 9x12, 96 pages, hardcover, full color. $19.95.

FLASH GORDON Sundays by Mac Raboy
In 1948, Mac Raboy fresh from his run on Captain Marvel Jr., and the Green Lama, signed on with King Features to illustrate the Flash Gordon Sunday page. This is the first ever collection of these superbly illustrated strips. Written by Mac Raboy and Don Moore with art by Raboy, this new series from Dark Horse will make evident to a new generation of comics enthusiasts Raboy's important contribution to the comic strip.
• Volume 1 Reprints Flash Gordon Sundays from 8/01/48-5/10/53.
• Volume 2 Reprints Flash Gordon Sundays from 5/17/53-2/23/58.
• Volume 3 Reprints Flash Gordon Sundays from 3/2/58-12/9/62.
Each volume is 12x9 oblong format, trade paperback, 256-272 black and white pages, square spine color cover, excellent reproduction on glossy paper. .....$19.95 each

FLASH GORDON Dailies by Austin Briggs
In 1940, top illustrator Austin Briggs began the first Flash Gordon daily strip, running as a counterpart to Alex Raymond's classic Sunday page. This way readers could get some Flash—and Dale Arden— every day (in 1945 he took over the Sundays when Alex Raymond went into the military).
• Volume 1 Reprints Flash Gordon dailies from 5/27/40-12/28/40. 11x8½ oblong format, trade paperback, 96 black and white pages, square spine color cover, excellent reproduction. .....$18.95